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International Fanworks Day 2019 has come to an end. We are absolutely thrilled with the response and celebrations we have witnessed on this fifth anniversary of IFD! Here’s a look at how it all went down:

Fanlore sent out their second annual week-long editing challenge. If you missed it, don't worry--the folks over at Fanlore can always use more hands from those fans who wish to add to the collective pool of knowledge in the fandom wiki.

IFDrabble was a success! There are over 100 submissions under the International Fanworks Day 2019 tag on AO3. If you’re looking for some quick and hilarious fanworks, then go check out how different fans have interpreted the prompt "characters and/or celebrities discover new fandoms."

A huge thank you to everyone who has commented and posted recommendations as a part of Feedback Fest. As of the time of this writing, there are over 300 comments recommending and discussing people's favourite fanworks. If you haven’t done so yet, go visit the comments on the Feedback Fest post for recommendations to your favourite fandoms--and maybe some new ones, too!

The games and fan chat was more popular than ever! We had OTW volunteers moderating for this 29-hour party where fans joined to participate in the games. Below are excerpts from the Lyrics Round Robin and Poetry Round Robin games. Fans brought some incredible enthusiasm and creativity to the table, and shoutout to the guest MiraculousReader for being a powerhouse of ad lib song lyrics and poetry!

Lyrics Round Robin:

To the tune of “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers

Coming out of my page
and I’ve been attacked by fans
gotta write it down
because fans read it all
fic started out with a kiss
how did i get to this?
it was only a ship, only a ship
now I'm falling asleep
at the keyboard again
while the fans rage on
and im taking a nap
now my characters are all dead
and my beta is sick
all ideas in my head
but i cant write it down
Now, the ship has gone angst
now, let it sink

To the tune of “Seven Nation Army” by The White Stripes

It’s keeping me awake
I can’t eat sleep or drink
I gotta read about it
Every single author's got a story to tell
Fandoms from the popular
to the obscure
But I can’t stop thinking about it
no matter how hard I try

It’s the only thing keeping me alive, fanfic sites are my home

I'm gonna switch it off,
or maybe just another line or two
Far from wattpad evermore
Or maybe five fics more
And I’m reading, and I'm reading, and I’m reading
Now my eyes are sore
All the words are gonna fill me up
Kudos and comments evermore

To the tune of “Summer of ‘69” by Bryan Adams

I saw my first real fanvid
It was for a small fandom
Left a comment on it, 'god i love this video!'
I watched until I flooded with tears
It was the summer of 2018

Me and some friends from tumblr
had a fandom and we blogged real hard
One left for Instagram, One left for deviantart
my ship sank, my head-cannon got blasted

Oh when i remember our OTPs
Those ships seemed to last forever
They seemed so strong together
And if i was the writer
The ship would've become canon

To the tune of “My Immortal,” by Evanescence

This ink won't seem to flow
this block is just too real
there's so much backspace cannot erase

when I cried, the keyboard collected all my tears
characters scream and fight through all their fears
and I wrote this fic through all of these years
author still has all of me

Poetry Round Robin:

Haiku
Winged fire creature,
That is burning down Laketown,
Cumberbatch, so hot.

Limerick
When a writer and symbiote meet,
The readers are in for a treat,
He'll whip out his tongue,
Keep an eye on your young,
For he might think them so sweet.

Haiku
A boy with no quirk
still wants to be a hero
but already is

Sonnet
When Thanos snapped his finger you were gone.
I did not know what to do without you,
I never got to hear your final song.
I have been in love with you all along.
Tell me how did I end up with this life?
Tell me how to say goodbye to you now,
I had the best time with you in the past.
The sun is now setting and I'm alone,
I'd do anything I could to fix this.
My heart is broken without you here now,
I can't function without you by my side.
Only memories keep our hearts alive,
in this empty world I scream for the lost,
Yet I still hope to see you come morning.

Limerick
A paladin whose name was Keith
had kept his sword in a sheath
His lion was red
he fought till he bled
then knocked out all of his teeth

Ghazal
A three-patch problem arrives at his door,
Uninviting, painted black, an old wooden door.
Difficulties posing as opportunities knock on the door,
Hiding his genius the quaint little door.
Sherlock smiles, the game's afoot,
Prowling mysteries afoot.
the culprit is found at home,
red stained hands at home,
Mrs. Hudson beckons home
two chairs and hot tea at home

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As our previous post announced, the Organization for Transformative Works is sponsoring a variety of activities celebrating International Fanworks Day (IFD) today. Please check that post for details!

We’re also hosting a 29-hour party in the OTW’s Public Discussion chatroom from 23:00 UTC 14 February to 04:00 UTC 16 February. Please note that this chatroom will be moderated in English. Check out the game descriptions below and join in the fun! The game content is fan-themed in celebration of #IFD2019. All times below are in UTC. Click the link to see the time in your timezone.

To keep things manageable, the chat room has a 50-person limit at any one time, so if you’re unable to get in for one event, do try another.

Details About the Games

5 Things

How to Play: During this game the host will name a topic and players in the room will call out examples from their favorite fandoms. This will repeat for at least 5 rounds. Be prepared to explain why your answer counts (maybe you’ll recruit someone new to your fandom!)

20 Questions

How to Play: Host thinks of a person, place or thing. The first person in the room roster (on the upper right side) gets to ask a question that the host will answer with a YES or NO.

As soon as the host replies, the next person on the list can ask their question. Players can call out a guess at any time but the host will only answer if it’s correct so that the next person gets their turn. The game will continue until someone has guessed the person, place or thing.

Countdown

How to Play: The host has a list of 7 clues. After they type each clue into the chat room, people can guess what the answer is. If no one guesses, the host offers the next clue. The game will continue until someone has guessed the person, place or thing BUT the sooner someone guesses the answer, the more points they will get! After 3 rounds the person with the most points wins.

Linkee

How to Play: The host will read a clue and each player should guess (to themselves — shhh!) what the answer is that fits into the [BLANK]. The host will then read 2 more clues. After each one players can call out a guess about what they think links the clues together.

The first person to guess correctly gets a point. When we have completed all the clue sets the person with the most points wins.

Lyrics Round Robin

How to Play: During this game we’ll collectively write FANDOM lyrics to replace those of a familiar song. The host will choose the song and type out an alternate first line. Then those in the room will write the next lines until the song is finished.

Poetry Round Robin

How to Play: During this game we’ll write a FANDOM poem. The host will choose a style (limerick, haiku, sonnet, or ghazal) and post the first line. Then those in the room will write the next lines until the poem is finished.

That’s Life

How to Play: The host will offer two questions. Participants should each name a character that they know well and will then share how that character would answer the questions. For each round, participants will name a different character each time and answer questions for that character. We’ll have 5 minutes for you to come up with answers to each set of questions.

Trivial Pursuit

How to Play: Like most trivia games, the host will ask a question and the first person to answer correctly wins that round. Because we’re online and you’re free to do searches we’re going to add another factor, which is time — you must answer within 3 minutes. But you can call out your answer as soon as you think you know. If you have the correct answer the host will type your name and award you a point. At the end of the game, whoever has gotten the most points will be named the winner!

The chat is now closed. Thanks to everyone for participating!

We also want to hear from you about other celebrations taking place today. Leave us a comment here to tell us about what your fandom communities are hosting!

Leave a comment here recommending at least three fanworks, and say something about why you love these works and think others should check them out. You can also link to a recommendation post you’ve made elsewhere or tag it with #FeedbackFest for people to find. Remember that fan communities, newsletters, archives, and other resources are fanworks too, so there are a lot of possibilities!

For everyone checking out the rec'ed fanworks, don’t forget to leave comments, likes, kudos, or other feedback to those fan creators to help spread the love. Let the fannish celebration begin!

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International Fanworks Day is coming up on February 15. To mark the occasion, the OTW called for submissions on "What Fanworks Mean to Me." We are thrilled with the responses we have received, and we would like to thank everyone who submitted! Below are some of the responses we received.

For those of you who missed our challenge, we’d like to start a conversation on how fanworks are part of your life. For example:

What devices do you usually use to access fanworks? And when do you enjoy them?

How do you save fanworks to find again? Do you recommend them to others?

What are your favourite tropes to browse? What are your favourite fandoms to browse?

Do you prefer one type of fanwork (art, fic, vid etc)? What makes this your favourite?

Leave your comments here or drop in at our social media to tell us more!

What Fanworks Mean to Me

Mary-Catherine Berger, via e-mail

Fanworks to me, really mean a lot. Fanworks, and the community that has evolved around them, has opened me up to a whole new world of acceptance and love. I've learned a lot in just this past year about writing. I've been challenged in so many ways by myself, as well as by my fellow fanwork creators. The amazing creations that my fellow fans have created have opened my eyes to the amazing depths of exploration and creation that I hadn't been exposed to before. Fanworks mean acceptance, love, devotion, talent, dedication, and a million other things that have brought positivity and joy to my life.

I think the main reason it’s my dream to work on character and concept design is bc of how special it is to me to find characters I id with, I wanna be a part of making that experience for someone else to like….give back what I’ve received if that makes sense. I know id with characters in fanworks more than I do with their actual canon characterization, but I think that’s even more reason why I wanna create the characters like the ones I’ve grown to love and see myself in.

goldfinchex, via Twitter

in terms of writing it's both practice and expression, as well as translating thoughts to paper to ground myself in my present but at the same time make something that's entirely personal and imaginary a shared commodity.

Shyla Ramos, via Twitter

#WhatFanworksMeanToMe it allows me to get my ideas out and gets people to read and enjoy what I write.

This February 15th will mark the 5th annual International Fanworks Day. Wherever you are across the globe, we invite you to celebrate with us!

In honour of IFD, the OTW will be hosting several events, but we'd love for you to tell us what you'll be doing for #IFD2019 so we can signal boost other celebrations.

So what's the OTW doing? Lots of things!

1. What Fanworks Mean to Me: A couple of weeks ago, we sent out a call for essay contributions about what fanworks mean to you. Tomorrow, we'll be posting selected essays from the submissions. If you missed your chance to send us an essay, don't worry! You can always post on social media with the tag #IFD2019. Let people know how you feel and help spread the International Fanworks Day festivities.

2. IFDrabble: This is a fanworks fest that invites you to create short fanworks (like drabble fanfics) about characters and/or celebrities being fannish over something. We created an AO3 tag to use when posting your works, and on social media, you can use #IFDrabble for a chance for us to signal boost your work.

This year, to shake things up, we're suggesting a specific theme: Characters and/or celebrities discovering new fandoms! How about Izuku and Katsuki discovering Madonna? Or McCree discovering Venom? Anything goes for IFDrabble--fanfiction, fanart, fanvids, or anything else you can come up with.

3. Feedback Fest: Feedback Fest is a chance to show your favourite fanworks some love, and to get some great recommendations from others! Look for our Feedback Fest post on February 13th, then leave a comment with some fanwork recommendations. On social media, use the tag #FeedbackFest when posting.

4. Fanlore Challenge: Fanlore is participating in IFD, too! Every day from February 11-17, Fanlore will post different challenges on their Tumblr, their Twitter, their Dreamwidth, and on Fanlore for all editors to participate in. How well do you know your fandom? It’s time to show off your knowledge and contribute to Fanlore!

It’s time to mark your calendars: the fifth annual International Fanworks Day will take place on February 15, 2019. Here at the OTW we have lots of exciting plans in store, but we also want to hear your ideas about the day.

What is International Fanworks Day?

The OTW founded International Fanworks Day in 2015. It’s a day for fans around the world to celebrate the diversity and creativity of fanwork in all its forms. Whether you enjoy reading fanfiction, creating fanart, listening to podfics or audio mixes, editing fan videos, or getting deep into meta discussions, International Fanworks Day is your opportunity to share your favorite fanworks and talk about what they mean to you. You could also use it as an opportunity to run a challenge or create some new fanworks of your own!

What do fanworks mean to you?

Next month, the OTW will announce the activities with which we plan to celebrate International Fanworks Day this year. But right now, we’d love to hear what the wider fan community will be doing to mark the day. Let us know via our social media or in the comments below.

We’d also like to invite your submissions on the topic "What fanworks mean to me." If you’d like to contribute, you can take part by:

Making a post with your thoughts on Twitter, Tumblr or Facebook and adding the hashtag #WhatFanworksMeanToMe.

If you have more to say, you can submit longer essays of up to 350 words to the Communications Committee via the OTW’s contact form. You can take a look at the hashtag to see everyone’s contributions, but a selection of submissions will also be featured on the OTW blog in the run-up to International Fanworks Day 2019. If you’d like your piece to be considered, please make sure that it includes your country of residence, as well as the name under which you’d like us to list your work.

We accept submissions in every language, so there’s no reason to hold back. Let the fanworks love flow free!

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Today marks 9 years that the OTW launched, and we have some celebrations and activities planned this month to celebrate!

This September we will be putting the spotlight on our Open Doors project, discussing the importance of preserving fanworks and fannish history. This will include our Five Things series where we talk with OTW volunteers about the work they do for us. We'll also have a Guest Post with Versaphile, an archive owner whose sites have been imported into the AO3 by Open Doors.

In addition to the announcement about the Sinful Desire archive there will be several more announcements from Open Doors this month about archives that will be imported to AO3, so keep an eye out!

And on Sunday, September 18th from 17:00-19:00 UTC (check when that is in your timezone) we'll be doing a live chat to which you are all invited! Three librarians who work with popular culture, science fiction and fantasy collections, all of which include fanworks, will be available to answer questions about their work, their collections, and preserving fannish history.

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AO3 Support staffers are the people who receive your tickets through the Support and Feedback form and try to respond as soon as possible to register your feature suggestion, pass your bug report on to our coders, or do their best to help you out with a problem. However, when it comes to explaining how to do things or why something doesn't seem to be working right, the formal back-and-forth emails of a Support request aren't always ideal.

So Support will be holding an Open Chat session in our public chat room. They'll be available on Sunday, June 29, 13:00 UTC to June 30, 01:00 UTC (what time is that in my timezone?). Volunteers will be available to answer inquiries in Chinese, English, Finnish, French, German, Indonesian, Portuguese, Spanish and Swedish. If you can't make it to this chat, keep an eye out for the next as Support will be doing other chats later this year.

If you're having a problem using the Archive, want help trying something new, or would like an explanation of one of our features, please drop in and talk to us in person!

Some guidelines from Support, just to keep things running smoothly

We don't have a fancy presentation or material prepared--there are plenty of FAQs, tutorials, and admin posts for that. The point of live chat is to talk with you, not at you. We're happy for you to drop in and say "hi", but it's even better if you drop in and say, "Hi, what's up with my work that won't show as complete even though it is?!"

As Support, our function is to help users with bugs and issues, and pass reports on to our Coders and Systems team, who actually keep the place running. This means that policy questions are way over our pay grade. (Just kidding--none of us get paid!) So, if you have questions or comments about AO3 or OTW policies, good or bad, Support Chat isn't the right place for them. If you do want to talk to someone about policy issues (meta on the Archive, philosophical issues with the tagging system, category change, etc.) we can direct you to the appropriate admin post or contact address so you can leave feedback directly for the people dealing with the area of your concern.

Additionally, if a question looks like it might violate a user's privacy to answer (if it needs an email address or other personal information, for example) we may not be willing to work with it in chat. In those cases, we'll redirect a user to the Support Form so we can communicate via email.

So, now that that's out of the way, what kind of things are we going to talk about?

Live chat is best for questions of a "How do I...?" or "Why does it...?" nature.

For example, you might have been wondering:

I'd like to run a challenge, but I'm not sure how to do what I want.

For that matter, where did my work submitted to an anonymous challenge go?!

I want to post using formatting the Rich Text Editor won't give me. How do I do it using a work skin?

I want to add a lot of my older works to the AO3 -- what would be the easiest way to do that?

We'd be happy to help you with any of these questions, and anything else you're having trouble doing or would like to try doing with the Archive.